Most auto repair shops aren’t losing money because they lack customers — they’re losing money because they don’t actually know where their profit is going.In this episode, Alex Saladna sits down with Peyton from the WickedFile team, who’s worked with auto repair shops across the country — from single-location operators to multi-shop groups. Peyton shares what he sees every day inside real shop operations, including the hidden habits and blind spots that quietly drain profitability.They dive into:

• Why focusing only on sales growth doesn’t fix profit problems
• The real cost of parts slippage, leakage, and missing reconciliation
• How shops think they’re auditing parts — but usually aren’t
• Why paperwork overload kills visibility in the back office
• How AI and automation can reduce 90% of reconciliation noise
• What a modern back office actually needs (and what it doesn’t)
• Simple mindset shifts that help shops get 1% better every day

If you’re a shop owner or operator trying to grow smarter — not just bigger — this conversation breaks down why operational discipline and visibility matter more than ever. Because fixing the back office is how you protect your margins.

00:00 – Why Auto Repair Shops Lose Profit Without Realizing It - The hidden problem most owners don’t see

02:10 – What We See Across Hundreds of Auto Repair Shops - Patterns from single shops to multi-location operators

05:10 – Growth vs. Profitability: Where Shops Go Wrong - Why adding customers doesn’t fix margin issues

08:00 – Sales Don’t Equal Profit in Auto Repair - The operational discipline most shops are missing

11:00 – The Biggest Silent Profit Killers in Auto Repair - Overhead creep, subscriptions, and unnoticed leaks

14:30 – Parts Slippage Explained (How Millions Get Lost) - Even top operators aren’t immune to this

18:30 – Why Most Shops Aren’t Really Auditing Parts - Paper stacks, missing docs, and false confidence

22:30 – The Back Office Visibility Problem - Where profits disappear with no accountability

26:30 – “We Don’t Have Time for Reconciliation - ”Why staffing shortages make the problem worse

29:30 – How AI Cuts 90% of Back Office Noise - What automation actually solves for shop owners

33:30 – What a Single-Shop Owner Actually Needs - Back office realities for 1–3 locations

37:30 – Why Scaling Shops Multiplies Risk - More locations = more opportunity for leakage

41:00 – Best Practices for Parts Tracking & Accountability - Simple moves shops can start today

44:30 – Getting 1% Better Every Day - Why small discipline beats big overhauls

47:00 – Final Advice for Shop Owners - Don’t ignore it — visibility protects profit

Thinking about opening another location — or wondering if your shop is ready for it? In this first episode of The WickedFile Podcast, Alex Saladna sits down with Bob Saladna to dig into the big questions shop owners wrestle with:

• When is the right time to open a new shop?

• Should you rent or buy your next location?

• How do you know if your current shop is truly ready for expansion?

• And how do you even find the right spot?

Bob shares hard-earned insights from years in the auto repair industry — the mistakes to avoid, the numbers to watch, and what “ready” really looks like before you take the leap.

If you’ve ever felt torn between tightening up your current operation or chasing that next big move, this episode is your roadmap.